Want to know where you stand when it comes to a gift that doesn't do what it says on the box? Wondering if that too-good-to-be-true offer is a Christmas scam? These tips and tricks could help you shop smart during the silly season.

Restricted health funds are open to former and current employees and their families working in many industries from defence, forestry, electricity, transport and steel workers to bank, health and education workers.

Tricky packaging and labelling are a big part of how businesses sell products these days. Unit pricing is supposed to help you look past the marketing to compare prices and find the best value for money.

]]>Shopping and legalMon, 14 Jul 2014 10:11:00 GMTDiscount diva: how to live it up for less
http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/money/shopping-and-legal/shopping/discount-diva-how-to-live-it-up-for-less.aspx

Want to save money while still enjoying the finer things in life? CHOICE journalist Zoya Sheftalovich is a discount queen for a week.

A contract is a legally enforceable agreement. If it's a standard form contract you are expected to sign or click I AGREE. But if one of the terms are unfair, you might have a right to have the term declared void.

Christmas is a once-a-year opportunity to scam consumers out of their money. Scams cost Australians $93m last year, plenty of which targeted holiday shoppers. We take a look at some of the worst offenders.

It’s more important than ever to know how much you’re paying for life insurance and what you'll get in return. We look at term life insurance policies from 15 insurers and 10 large industry super funds.

Knock-off products are no longer easily identified by misspelled logos and shoddy craftsmanship. While the quality of counterfeit products appears to be improving, the counterfeiters are also getting smarter at marketing their products.

For consumers, franchises can be a dependable port of call in a crowded marketplace. But many Australians have paid dearly for signing on the dotted line to run their own franchise outlet, generally because they were led to believe one thing but working for a franchisor turned out to be another.

Costs for vet service can vary widely, and it doesn't help that there are no standard fee guidelines. Most vets no doubt deserve your trust, but with corporate vet franchises on the rise, upselling and overcharging are legitimate consumer concerns.

Over the past few years, bonus rates on online savings accounts have been as good or better than the highest rates on term deposit accounts. New regulations will see the pendulum swing back towards term deposits.

CHOICE has been calling for an overhaul of the financial services industry for more than 20 years. The federal government's Future of Financial Advice(FOFA) reforms will hopefully resolve some of the issues.

The regulator claimed that Westpac breached the The Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 by sending unsolicited debit cards to consumers, but the Federal Court has taken a different view.